Jim Hickman, a Fire Management Officer from Tasmania, first suggested using lasers for slash burning in the late 1960s. Inspired by US weapons research, Forestry Tasmania wanted to ignite logging slash from 4 to 5 km away. The idea was further promoted by Phil Shepherd in a series of reports in 1973. In 1975, PhilContinue reading “Star Wars.”
Monthly Archives: April 2023
Gallipoli Oak.
Most Australians would have heard the legendary story of the solitary Turkish Pine (Pinus brutia) that grew on the slopes of the Gallipoli Peninsula made famous as marking the site of the Battle of Lone Pine in August 1915. But few may have heard about the Gallipoli Oak (Quercus coccifera subsp. Calliprinos) that grew along the ridges and valleys.Continue reading “Gallipoli Oak.”
Macedon Avenue of Honour.
On ANZAC Day we gather to remember those who served our country. We may attend a dawn service, go to a march, wear some precious family medals, or lay a wreath at a cenotaph. We may even follow with a cold frothy or two and a game of two-up at our local RSL. But acrossContinue reading “Macedon Avenue of Honour.”
Joseph Firth – Macedon Nursery.
Joseph Firth was born in the Orkney Islands in Scotland on 12 August 1854 and emigrated to Australia in 1872 when he was just 17. Joseph married Mary Ridden and arrived at Mount Macedon to begin a lifelong and distinguished career in horticulture, firstly as gardener at Glencairn and later at Government Cottage. In 1885,Continue reading “Joseph Firth – Macedon Nursery.”
Bill Middleton – Wail Nursery.
In the 1930s, the Forests Commission took a leading role in stabilising soils in the desert country of northwest Victoria ravaged by drought and excessive clearing of Mallee woodlands for farming. Revegetation works by the Commission using Cypress Pine were carried out in the dry Hattah – Kulkyne forests in 1937-38 but it was severelyContinue reading “Bill Middleton – Wail Nursery.”
Cobaw Bushfire Staff Ride.
“Walking in their shoes”. Staff Rides can trace their origins back to the Prussian Army after the Napoleonic Wars. They were adapted by the US military and then more recently by many American fire agencies. They are now considered an essential technique to develop senior leadership skills. The Cobaw Bushfire Staff Ride in 2011 wasContinue reading “Cobaw Bushfire Staff Ride.”
Cobaw Escaped Burn – April 2003.
The summer of 2002-03 had been one of the largest and most prolonged fire seasons for many years. Huge bushfires spread across the Victorian Alps, NSW and even into some Canberra suburbs where four people died and over 500 homes were lost. People and communities were angry and several state and federal government inquiries wereContinue reading “Cobaw Escaped Burn – April 2003.”
Victoria’s Forests & Bushfire Heritage 